|
 Trailing 9-0, the Millikin offense went to work scoring on a 19
yard pass from Nicco Stepina (Casey, Casey Westfield H.S.) to Gerald
Perry (Memphis, Tennessee, Whitehaven H.S.) to make it 9-7.
Millikin's Matt Brown (Champaign, Central H.S.) intercepted a
Carthage pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown to make it
16-14 with 9:37 left in the first half.
After a 99 yard kickoff return by Carthage, Millikin kept battling
back and scored on Kyle McMahon (Orland Park, Aurora University)
five yard run to make it a 23-21 game with 5:46 left in the first
half. A touchdown in the final minute of the half put the Red Men up
29-21.
An unusual play on the first Millikin possession of the second half
would prove costly for the Big Blue. After driving into Carthage's
end of the field, Millikin's Stepina broke free on a 27 yard run
heading toward the goal line. As Stepina reached the ball out to
break the plane of the goal line the ball slipped out of his hand
and went out of the back end of the end zone for a touchback.
Carthage then scored on its next two possessions to open up a 22
point advantage.
Keegan Smith (Oak Park, Oak Park & River Forest H.S.) scored
Millikin's final touchdown on a five yard run.
 Stepina was 13-26-1 passing for 214 yards. He rushed for 63 yards on
14 carries. David Jackson (St. Louis, Missouri, University H.S.) had
six catches for Millikin for 134 yards. Brown led the Millikin
defense with 10 tackles.
Millikin will travel to Elmhurst on Nov. 5.
Millikin Volleyball Wins CCIW Road Battle
The Millikin volleyball team survived a road CCIW battle defeating
Augustana College 3-2 on October 28 in Rock Island, Illinois. The
victory gives the Big Blue a 6-1 conference record and keeps them in
a first place tie with Elmhurst College.
Millikin won the first set 25-15, but the Vikings rallied to win the
next two sets 25-21 and 25-20. The Big Blue regrouped and won the
fourth set 25-19 and then took the final set 15-7.
Erin Syversen (Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Waukesha West H.S.) led Millikin
in kills and digs with 20 kills and 24 digs. Emily Seegmiller
(Arthur, Arthur Lovington Atwood Hammond H.S.) had 13 kills for the
Big Blue. Cortney Bohn (Mahomet, Mahomet Seymour H.S.) had 10 kills
and three blocks. Cassidy Kingery (Heyworth, H.S.) had a team high
38 digs. Emily Mihalkanin (Willowbrook, Hinsdale South H.S.) had 43
set assists and 16 digs.
Millikin lost at #18 Elmhurst College 3-1 in a battle for first
place in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) on
October 26 in Elmhurst, Illinois. The win pulled the Bluejays into a
first place tie with Millikin.
Millikin lead in each of the first two sets, but Elmhurst rallied in
both to win 25-23 and 25-20. Millikin jumped out to a big early lead
in set three and won 25-13. The Bluejays won the fourth set 25-18.
Syversen led Millikin with a team high 19 kills and a team high 18
digs along with two service aces. Alora Goodey (Lincoln, Lincoln H.S.)
had 13 kills with a .345 attacking percentage. Goodey added three
blocks. Mihalkanin had 43 set assists and three service aces.
Kingery had 16 digs. Meredith Artime (Forsyth, Decatur Christian
School H.S.) had 13 digs and three service aces.
The Millikin volleyball team dropped two matches in tournament
action at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on October 29 in
Whitewater, Wisconsin.
 The Big Blue lost its opening match to #14 Wisconsin-Whitewater 3-0
(25-19, 25-21, 30-28). Senior Kelsey Talkington (North Aurora,
Aurora Central Catholic H.S.) led the way for Millikin with seven
kills and three blocks. Goodey, Syversen and Seegmiller each had
seven kills. Mihalkanin had 32 set assists and nine digs. Kingery
had a team high 21 digs.
Millikin lost its second match to Bethel 3-2. Millikin won the first
set 25-20, but Bethel took the next two sets 25-17 and 25-21.
Millikin dominated the fourth set winning 25-10. Bethel won the
fifth and deciding set 15-13.
[to top of second column] |
Syversen had 17 kills and 12 digs. Bohn, Seegmiller and Goodey each
had 10 kills. Mihalkanin had 53 assists and Kingery had a team high
32 dig. Artime added 19 digs.
Millikin is now 23-11. The Big Blue will wrap up the regular season
at home on November 1 hosting Carroll University at 7 p.m. The Big
Blue have qualified for the CCIW Tournament to be played November
4-5.
Big Blue Swimmers Open Season
The Millikin men's and women's swimming team opened its 2016-17
season at the Illinois Wesleyan Halloween Meet on October 29 in
Bloomington, Illinois. The Millikin men finished in third place
while the Millikin women were fourth.
Spencer McGowan (Morton, H.S.) had the Millikin men's top individual
finish coming in second in the 200 Yard Backstroke in 2:10.74.
Freshman Cole Jones (Waverly, Missouri, Santa Fe H.S.) was third in
the 100 Yard Freestyle in 52.53 seconds. Millikin finished second in
two relay events. McGowan teamed with Tyler Via (Honolulu, Hawaii,
Maryknoll H.S.) and Eric Curtis (Pekin, H.S.) to come in second in
the 300 Yard Backstroke Relay in 3:08.34. The Big Blue were second
in the 200 Yard Medley Relay in 1:47.51 with McGowan, Matthew
Vangunten (East Peoria, H.S.), Cameron Lee (Everett, Washington, H.S.)
and Jones swimming legs.
In the women's competition, Sami Battle (Odell, Pontiac H.S.)
finished second in the 100 Yard Free in 55.47 seconds. The Big Blue
were second in the 500 Yard Freestyle Relay in 5:09.19 with Sabrina
Cipolla (Libertyville, H.S.), Battle, Caroline Lodovisi (Crown
Point, Indiana, H.S.) and Felicity Speirs (Lake Stevens, Washington,
H.S.) competing.
Millikin will be at home on November 4 hosting Lincoln College and
Franklin College at 6 p.m. in McIntosh Pool.
Millikin Men's Soccer Drops Final Two Games of the Season
The Millikin men's soccer team lost its final game of the 2016
season 3-0 to Carroll University on October 29 at Frank M. Lindsay
Field in Decatur, Illinois.
On October 26, Millikin lost at Wheaton College 4-0.
Millikin's end the season at 8-7-2, 2-6.
Big Blue Women's Soccer Loses Season Finale
The Millikin women's soccer team closed out the 2016 season with a
3-0 loss to Carroll University on October 29 in Decatur, Illinois.
The Millikin women lost at Wheaton College 2-0 on October 26. Anna
Benvenuto (West Allis, Wisconsin, PIUS XI H.S.) recorded 10 saves in
goal for Millikin.
Millikin finishes the season 8-8-1, 2-6.
Millikin Runners Compete at CCIW Championships
The Millikin men's cross country team competed in the 2016 College
Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Championships held on
October 29 at Maxwell Park in Bloomington, Illinois. The Millikin
men finished in seventh place while the Big Blue women were ninth.
Freshman Jack Halpin (Birmingham, Michigan, Seaholm H.S.) was
Millikin's top male runner finishing in 42nd place in 29:04.3.
Senior Jamie Michl (Newton, H.S.) was the Big Blue's top female
runner in 48th place in 26:23.2.
[Bryan Marshall] |
